GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Grand Rapids artist is combining paint and music to create a unique experience centered around a universal topic: trauma.
Trauma has many faces. For Scoob the Artist, it started as physical trauma with a slip at work causing three herniated discs.
”It really messed me up mentally, as an individual dealing with trauma, it’s like ‘how do I get out of this dark space?’ It’s like I was in a dark void,” Scoob the Artist, creator of The Trauma Project, said.
From that void, Scoob reinvigorated a passion for painting.
“The way I use a paintbrush is that it’s liberation for my soul. It’s what brings me peace. I’m able to mute the whole world,” he said.
But not everything was muted.
“I don’t paint in silence. Sometimes it’s classical music,” he said. “It guides my soul as I’m painting. All of my emotions are through the brush, and it’s because I’m being influenced by music.”
Which hatched an idea to combine the two.
“I knew that I couldn’t just tell my story because not everyone is going to relate to me. But I wanted to unify (the) community to where you have different stories. So it’s like, I’m not the only one, you’re not the only one. There are others around you who are going through the same things,” Scoob said.
Sixteen paintings, each accompanied by a performing artist, take viewers on a journey from the depths of despair to hope and resilience. Each musician was given a general theme centered around trauma and was challenged to create an original song.
It’s a project rooted in collaboration, bringing together more than 20 Grand Rapids-based artists.
“I knew that I couldn’t just tell my story because not everyone is going to relate to me. But I wanted to unify community to where you have different stories. So it’s like, I’m not the only one, you’re not the only one. There are others around you who are going through the same things,” Joseph “Cuu Josama” Spencer, musician with the Trauma Project, said.
“Mine was a rose that grew through the concrete. So it was just about overcoming obstacles, overcoming trauma, expecting the best from yourself. Making it from nothing,” Speedy, a recording artist with the Trauma Project, said.
Scoob hopes that his collaborative project helps bring power back to the people and sparks conversations, allowing those who have experienced trauma to grow.
The Trauma Project will have a live viewing and performance on Saturday at the AllArtWorks Gallery, located at 333 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10. You can also listen to the album by searching Trauma Project on all major streaming platforms.
